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Mike Anderson

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I started out way back in 7th grade on an indoor wall they built at my middle school. However, I didn't get to climb outside very much until my last couple years in high school. I grew up in Oregon idolizing Alan Watts and his creations at Smith Rock. As a result of that I respect sport climbing even though I consider myself an all-arounder. I climb ice in the winter, cracks in the spring, mountains in the summer and clip-ups in the fall. The only thing I don't do is boulder...except in the gym, but I call that training.
I have done a lot of great climbs all over this continent. The Cassin Ridge, Lotus Flower Tower, Devil's Thumb to name a few. I can offer advice on planning these "expedition" trips if you are interested. The reason most people don't climb these things is not because they lack skill, but because they lack decisiveness. If you have a dream climb in mind, stop dreaming and just do it. It's that simple!
Lately I have been obsessed with the idea of free climbing big walls, which is the ultimate manifestation of free climbing. In the Spring of '04 I realized a life long dream when I freed El Capitan in Yosemite, via the route Free Rider. This was one of those things that I always had in the back of my mind, but I didn't think I would ever do it. In addition to El Cap, I have also freed Moonlight Buttress, in Zion and The Rainbow Wall, in Red Rocks. Recently, I made the first free ascent of the North Face of Angel's Landing via the spectacular Lowe Route. I believe these climbs were made possible through disciplined physical training (a la [u]Performance Rockclimbing[/u]) , and lots of slab climbing.
In the future I would like to further explore the free climbing possibilities in Zion, and I look forward to more free routes on El Cap. Someday I would like to combine my free climbing skills with my alpine experience and attempt to free a big wall in Alaska.